


The Family You Choose

by violasarecool



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Nonbinary Character, background adaar/sera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 01:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10294424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: val hasn't seen the valo-kas since they became inquisitor. luckily, their advisors are on top of things, and soon skyhold is host to what is likely the most tal-/vashoth any of its residents have ever seen.





	

"Oh, Yvette can be charming when she _wants_ to," Josephine said that afternoon as she and Val walked down the hall towards the War Room. "She can also be very obstinate."

Val laughed. "She sounds delightful."

"Hm." Josephine glanced at Val. "If I might ask, do you have any siblings?"

"Sadly, no," Val said, "I'm an only child. Although, the members of my mercenary company were like family."

"Did you ever fight amongst yourselves?"

"Oh yes. All the time, Shokrakar especially. We could be stuck for hours arguing about the silliest things."

Josephine smiled. "Then perhaps the comparison is apt."

The doors to the War room were already open, and they walked inside to join the others. Cullen looked up as they approached, and nodded to them. "Inquisitor."

At the other end of the table, Leliana was bent over a piece of parchment, a hooded agent waiting as she scrawled a message. "Forgive me, Inquisitor, I'll be with you in one moment," Leliana said, without looking up.

Val approached the table as they waited. "Do you have siblings, Cullen?" they asked.

"Hm?" Cullen looked up, eyebrows raised. "Oh, yes, I have a sister. Why do you ask?"

"We were talking about our families," Val said, glancing at Josephine. "Apparently I've missed out on the whole sibling thing, bickering mercenary friends not withstanding."

"Well, ask anyone with siblings, there's not much to miss," Cullen said ruefully.

"You don't like your sister?" Val asked.

"I didn't like it much when she put a garden snake in my boot," he said, and Val laughed. "No, of course I like my sister; I'm joking, mostly. No matter how often we butt heads, she'll always be very dear to me."

"Then you're lucky to have her," Val smiled.

"You know," Josephine said, looking over as Leliana folded up the note to hand to her agent, "we received another letter from the Valo-kas today. Perhaps you will be seeing your chosen family fairly soon."

"I was going to suggest we send a small group to meet them," Leliana said, walking closer. "If you like, you could lead the party."

"That would be nice," Val said, "thank you."

"You should ask them back to Skyhold, if they're willing," Josephine said. "Even if they do not wish to join the Inquisition, it would be an honour to meet those you served with."

"Bull's been bugging me about it too," Val said, "so I guess that settles it." They grinned, glancing over at Josephine. "I should warn you, they're all Vashoth, or Tal-Vashoth. The Chantry might not be too happy."

"It rarely is," Cullen said dryly.

* * *

As fate would have it, Val didn't end up seeing the Valo-kas that day, or even the next. Between chasing after the Wardens, and a lengthy investigation process into the disappearance of Kaariss's squad, it wasn't until Cullen's troops came back with a bedraggled group of Valo-kas that Val finally got to see their friends again. They had only time for brief greetings between their arrival and Val's own ongoing mission, and while Val finished dealing with their own problems, Josephine offered to have the Valo-kas settled in at the Herald's Rest while they waited.

Of course, when Val finally escaped down the steps and out towards the tavern, they were first accosted by Sera.

" _There_ you are," she said, grabbing Val by the arm, "havent seen you all day! There's a lot of horned people about all of a sudden, don't suppose you know what that's about?" She pushed open the door to the tavern and they ducked inside, Sera still talking. "Cause it's kind of bizarre, you know, never seen this many in one place before, especially not here. Not that I'm complaining," she added with a grin, nodding at a pair of muscular women, their horns long and curved.

Val smiled widely. "They're my people."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sera said, waving a hand, "Qun-whatsits, people with horns, that's--"

"Valo-raas!" Kaariss waved at them from across the room. Beside him, Krem leaned back to avoid being smacked by his flailing arm. "You're missing my latest ballad, _The Light Descending!"_

"Alright," Val laughed, "just a moment."

"Hang on," Sera said, glancing at Val, "these are your _people_ people? Your fight-y friends?"

"The Valo-kas," Val said, grinning. "Want to meet them?"

"Oh yes," Sera breathed, "I bet they have _all kinds_ of stories about you. Dirt to dish, you know."

Val raised their eyebrows. "Should I be worried?"

Sera grinned. "This is gonna be _fun."_ Then, she was skipping away towards Krem and Bull, who were already chatting with several of the group.

"Do I even _need_ to introduce you?" Val murmured, but they smiled as they followed.

The tables in the tavern were all drawn together into a menagery of table islands, scattered across the floor so as to connect as many as possible. Bull, Krem, and the chargers were spread across a few tables at one end, assorted members of the Valo-kas seated opposite. Still others sat at some of the larger tables, their numbers greater than the last time Val had seen them; Blackwall and Harding were at a table with three (Tal?) Vashoth Val had never seen before in their life.

They passed Josie and Dorian on their way over, chatting with Taarlok and Ashaad, and they made a mental note to thank Josie profusely when this was over. That they were even assembled so _unchaotically_ in this tavern was a small miracle, Val thought wryly.

"Valo-raas!" came a bellow, and Val found themself clapped against the chest of someone much larger than they were. A moment later, they stepped back, and Val found themself grinning up at Shokrakar's matching grin.

"It's been a while since I've been the short one," Val said, clapping a hand to Shokrakar's bare shoulder.

Shokrakar snorted. "Everyone's _tiny_ here," she said, shaking her head, huge spiraling horns swinging widely with the movement.

"How have things been?" Val asked, glancing back at the table where the others sat; Kaariss was now talking to Sata-kas, and Bull, who seemed deeply interested in whatever he was saying. Beside them, Katoh, and another horned stranger. "You seem to have grown quite a bit, since..."

"Since you left to become a human idol?" Shokrakar said, shooting Val an amused look. "Yeah, we took on some new blood. Better than the old, mostly, so that's good."

"You lost quite a few to Red Templars, I hear," Val said, mouth curling in a sympathetic smile. "Hissra was with us for a long time."

Shokrakar shrugged. "Nothing to be done about it. But," she slung her arm around Val's shoulders, "stop talking about the dead. Let's have a drink, have some _fun,_ " she exclaimed, "you damn well have enough booze here for it."

"Alright," Val laughed, and they turned, and walked back towards the others. "I'd introduce you to some of my friends, but I think you've already met most of them."

"What's his name, Bull?" Shokrakar nodded at him as she sat down, "him and his lot have been making good with our lot since we got here. And that elf, says she's dating you?" She punched Val on the shoulder, "she seems like a good one."

Val glanced at Sera, her face lit up with excitement as she chattered with Krem and Sata-Kas. "She is," they said, smiling.

"Haven't met the rest yet," Shokrakar said, "but you can fix that later." She reached across the table, and lifted Kaariss's elbow up to reveal a pile of cards.

"Oh, yes," Kaariss said, his own conversation trailing off as he looked down, "I forgot, we were in the middle of a hand."

"Valo-raas needs dealing in," Shokrakar said, shooting Val a grin, "so let's start over."

Some time and several player changes later, Wicked Grace was forgotten again as they dissolved into clumps of conversation. Dorian and Josie had since joined the group, and Sera lay sprawled across several of their laps as if on a many legged couch, her head perfectly positioned to sneak glances at Val's hand while they weren't paying attention.

"Did Valo-raas ever tell you how they lost their horns?" Shokrakar was saying, as she finally laid her own hand facedown on the table.

"Oh no," Val groaned, "don't tell them that, Shok, _please."_

"What?" Sera breathed, as, beside them, Josephine gave Valo-raas an intrigued look.

"You didn't tell them," Shokrakar said with a grin that bordered on outright menacing.

"Of course I didn't," Val said, "I'm rather liking this whole being respected thing."

"Why,  _Inquisitor,"_ Dorian said, eyebrows raised with a delighted look, "whatever did you do?"

"Did you lose them in a bet?" Sera added.

"I wish," Val said ruefully. "Shokrakar, please, have mercy."

"Have mercy on the _leader of the Inquisition?_ " Shokrakar said, and Val groaned. "Working with all these hornless has made you soft. Don't worry," she said, clapping a hand to Val's shoulder, "we'll soon fix that."

Val made a face at her.

"First of all," Shokrakar said, "Valo-raas used to have the biggest horns of any of us, long and curved like a damn antelope."

"Is that so," Dorian said, grinning. "Nature's compensation?"

"Now, what makes you think I need to compensate for anything?" Val said, raising their eyebrows with an answering grin, and Dorian laughed.

"See, this is why you need to tell them about the horns," Sata-kas said, shaking co's head. "Get on with it quick, before their damn ego gets any bigger."

"Their ego?" Josephine said, surprised. "I would not have guessed Val to be someone particularly full of themself. Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Should've seen them in the early days," Sata-kas said, with a devious grin.

"Hey, you need _some_ ego to lead a pack of monkeys like this," Val said, and Sata-kas stuck co's tongue out, making a barfing noise.

"You're full of shit," Shokrakar said, amused. "No," she said, as Val opened her mouth, "let me tell my damn story, or I'll think of a worse one to tell."

"I don't believe there _is_ a worse one," Val muttered, but they crossed their arms and sat back, watching Shokrakar warily as she began speaking again.

"We were working for a ship docked near Starkhaven," Shokrakar said, her voice carrying over the quieting room like a foghorn, "run by a human with enough gold to make up for his crew's pathetic lack of combat training." She flashed a grin, baring the points of her sharp teeth. "We didn't have any trouble the first two days, but on the third..."


End file.
